Titans Return
by McDiggity
Summary: The Titans have separated. Beast Boy disappeared, Starfire left Earth and Robin began anew as Nightwing. Cyborg, Raven and Nightwing joined the Justice League not long after. Then, relations begin to develop between the renewed Tamaran and Earth. The former Titans are called to become Earths ambassadors. Can Cyborg, Nightwing and Raven find their friend for their new mission? R&R
1. Introduction

_**Years have passed, and with time, life moves along regardless of regrets or tragedies. People grow together and apart in ways that can and cannot be controlled. Regrets pass as well as most emotions, but many stick with a select few. In our heroes cases, the strong sense of family sticks regardless of distance. It has been five years since the reign of the original Titans, splitting after Jump City no longer required protection from villainous types such as Plasmus, Overload, Control Freak, or... Slade. **_

_**The first of these warrior brothers and sisters to outgrow the bustling city was, to everyone's surprise, Beast Boy. Towards the end of his time with the Titans, Beast Boy became suspiciously distant and restless. Eventually he became more scarcely seen around the tower than even Raven herself. It was still a huge shock when Robin entered the changelings room to find it spotless and empty, all except for a note simply stating that he will still keep in touch, but would not be returning. After that day, no one ever admitted to hearing from their green brother as he dropped completely out of their respective lives. **_

_**With only the remaining four friends, life simply became too easy for the heroes. They did enjoy their days together, however boring life had become. The next to leave though was Starfire, and with her departure to her home world where she would begin the guidance of her people once again, the remaining three felt nothing but lingering memories holding them to their home. Robin became obsessed with his work to a much further extent at the loss of his love, even if they had kept in contact through the watchtowers relays. The leader eventually left in a similar fashion to his green teammate, only leaving at least some way for them to still contact him with his new title of Nightwing. **_

_**Being the last two left in their home, Raven stayed with her self proclaimed older brother Cyborg as he began making connections to the Justice League. Things really changed when they received a visit from Batman and Superman as they invited them both to join them in the Watchtower as part of the worlds protectors. The offer was irrefutable, especially when they mentioned that Nightwing was already a member. Accepting the invitation, the former titans became irrefutable members of the Justice League. **_

...

In the wake of the dark room; a faint, low, repetitive tone resonated into her sleeping ears. Ravens eyes faltered as the movement behind her eyelids slowed. She mumbled and groaned as wake dawned on her, scrunching her face and relaxing it as she stretched to open a new day. Slowly rising from her stiff cot, she felt a sudden abnormality with er surroundings. Her room was different, after all, everything was dark as she liked it, but her familiar gothic furniture was replaced with stainless steel everything. Memory dawned on her as she remembered she wasn't at the Titans Tower. She wasn't home.

Instead, Raven was in active duty at the Jutice League Watchtower where she rarely felt comfortable flying out of the earths atmosphere. Raven hated the artificialness the whole place had, while everything was fairly accurately represented, everything still felt fake. The gravity, the air, the plants, everything felt slightly off. It always threw off her sleep pattern and messed with her meditation. Not to mention the constant fear of losing control of herself and sending the whole populace into a zero atmosphere orbit. The only reason she stayed here was because Cyborg was here all the time.

Raven reached for the alarm clock by her bed, disabling the nuisance of a low beep. She grabbed her cloak and marched to her standard sink and mirror. Raven stared at the full grown woman that was her reflection. It felt so strange to her, being an adult now. Everything had changed so drastically over the past years. Responsibility and conduct was chosen over fun or friends. She missed the days when she was a Titan, living with her adopted family. Now everything was so professional, and while she enjoyed the privacy the League offered, it wasn't a family. But, while it was not ideal, it was her duty as a hero to be here, so here she stayed. Besides, who else could keep Cyborg company when the Flash wasn't around? Raven snickered at her older brothers new friendship. It reminded her so much of the days Cyborg would bicker with... Ravens chest suddenly felt heavy. She decided to stretch away the ache and finish her morning routine. She dealt with her hygiene and splashed some water on her face before marching out of her dormitory and into the mess hall.

As the door swiped open the familiar scent of the breakfast buffet wafted below Ravens nose. She basked in the warm smell of waffles, syrup, and eggs. If there was one thing she loved about the Watchtower, it was the food that was autonomously supplied. Taking in the heat of the room, Ravens eyes surveyed the many faces in the sea of heroes. Her vision stalled over the familiar bald head of Cyborg. He was leaning on one arm as he shoveled whole waffles into his mouth with the other. It seemed that his attention was focused on the red blur of the flash talking next to him, emphasizing everything he said with his whole body. Raven giggled at her older brothers easy going friendship with his fellow scientist. She raised her hand and waved towards the boys. Flash noticed the gesture right away and began frantically waving and motioning the empath over next to them, but Cyborg only gave a halfhearted gesture of his hand. His mood seemed down, for reasons outside of Ravens knowledge.

Grabbing a fully made tray of breakfast goods with her dark energy, Raven floated through the crowd to the table that seated her acquaintances. With a slight smile, not noticeable to anyone who wasn't a Titan, she turned her attention to the Flash. "Good morning Barry. Have you heard from Wally today?"

Flash raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, the boy called me an hour ago. I'm glad he got out of the hero biz, but I miss the boy. At least I get to check out his work on particle physics at his college though. Either of you ever wonder what you'd do if you could live the civvy' life?" Raven had to analyze all his words carefully as they shot from his mouth at the speed of sound. It was times like this she wished she had Cyborgs computer ears.

"Well, I guess I'd be a librarian." Raven deadpanned. "Books are practically a part of me."

Cyborg only seemed to grunt in response, his thoughts obviously elsewhere. Raven raised an eyebrow in his direction, picking up her glass of milk to her lips as if it were her tea. Flash rolled his eyes at the motion. "He's been like this all morning." At this Cyborg seemed to rejoin reality.

"I'm just kinda... I dunno'." The half-human breathed. "It's not really an easy day for Titans." At his words, Raven seemed taken aback. "What are you talking about?" She quizzically asked.

Cyborg seemed reluctant to say more, but he gave in after a sigh and pushed himself up to walk away. As he was doing this he said, "Today's the day BB left." Cyborg then left for his post at the control center. Raven half choked on her drink at the reveal of the anniversary. Realization dawned on Flash at why it was so rough for them. He reached across the table to the coughing empath.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find him." Flash whispered as he placed his grip on Ravens shoulder. "We tried our best, but wherever the guy is he really didn't want to be-" He was cut off by Raven swiping off his hand as she left for her post in communications. The Flash only looked at the two Titans as they left the hall, a slight frown pressing his features.

...

The alley he was standing in was damp under his foot as Nightwing walked away from the bar his secret identity owned. His bar was a popular hot spot for all of the low-lives of Bludhaven, creating the greatest source of information on all the drug cartels in the area. He would sit and listen as he poured drinks, counted tips, and cleaned glasses. Of course he didn't do it for the money, that was the one thing he didn't need, but the idea of that money coming from the very people he was taking down gave him a strange sense of satisfaction. They were partially funding their enemy, all the while discussing critical details of their business. A smirk slung its way across Nightwings mouth. He came up to a fire escape that lead up to his apartment, where he quickly leapt onto the wall and up again to the ladder. He climbed up in the darkness, shouting and arguing filling out from the windows of his neighbors as they lived their lives.

Coming up to a blacked out room, he reached into his coat for the key and unlocked his window. Screeching open the heavy glass Nightwing clambered in through the awkward opening, reaching across the room for the light switch. Flickering on the lights the room revealed it's shadows lurking in the dark. A prominent Blue and Black uniform was clad on the wall, joined by two eskrima batons and a belt with a compartment for everything. Nightwing removed his jacket as he flipped on his television to the news. There was quite an uproar in the bar that peaked his curiosity. Rumors of aliens creating a trade treaty with earth. At first he thought it was just some junkie spreading rumors, but at the mention of their beautiful, green eyed leader, he couldn't help but close early.

As the word had said, the top story was about interplanetary trade opening with... Tamaran! Nightwing had to physically hold his eyes in his head to keep them in. Starfire was opening trade with Earth? Why hadn't the League called him? Why hadn't Starfire told him? He needed answers. And who better to ask than the very people maintaining communications with the alien planet. Turning off the box, Nightwing tossed the remote over his shoulder as he marched to his wall adorned with his gear. The dark uniform fit snugly along his body, adorning his muscles and still providing enough mobility for him to move as he pleased. Sticking on his mask, he reached on his counter and grabbed his helmet. Nightwing leapt from his window pushing it locked and onto the trash bin below. Running to a secret panel on the wall, the brick split to reveal his cycle.

"Off to Gothems zeta tube." He spoke to himself as he revved away to the north.

...

The incessant clicking on the massive control panel would have driven most people crazy, but Cyborg didn't mind the Flashes ability to maintain control at that speed. His physical speed rivaled Cyborgs processor speed as he was interfaced to the Watchtower. It was quite a feat to keep life support up as well as monitor all one hundred forty six of the power ducts to the whole station. In a minutes time they had the whole system set for the next week, unless outside influences fluctuated the power. But that wouldn't happen unless there was some sort of attack on the satellite. Cyborg leaned back as his red and yellow companion relaxed at finishing his work, kicking his feet onto the large panel.

Cyborg was thankful that he had gotten the hint he wasn't really in the mood for their regular banter. Basking in the silence in the room, he mimicked his companions position, leaning back and closing his eyes to the light tones emanating from the computer. A slight disturbance to his side grabbed his attention to see Flash staring at him. "So you got anyone for you, Victor?" Cyborg blinked at his sudden question.

"What?" Was all he could say.

"Do you have a girl?" Flash rephrased casually.

Cyborg thought for a moment. He had only one he could think of. "Well, I guess I got Bee. She's still a Titan, though, so I guess things are kinda' awkward." Flash gained a slight smirk.

"What's so weird about that?"

"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm a member of the League."

"Ya, and you're also a Titan. One of the originals."

"I WAS a Titan. We split a long time ago."

"Did Dick ever disband the team?"

This caught Cyborg off guard, causing the large guy to rub his head thoughtfully. Where was Flash going with this? "I guess not, technically."

"Well, then technically, you five are still a team. And you're still a family." Flash nudged Cyborg with his elbow, gaining a slight grin from the robotic hero.

"Thanks Barry. I needed that." Cyborg patted his friends back as he looked back to the console to monitor the flow of power to the different bays of the base. Things were quiet for a while as the duo adjusted flight paths and monitored the different systems of the station. Occasionally filled with exchanging witty banter, the room was all but silent as the purrs and beeps of the life support system filled it. After about an hour of witnessing this drowning room, Cyborg finally decided to leave things to Flash, saying he was going to hit the gym and to call him for help with anything. With a wave of his hand, the half-robot let the door slip shut behind him as he made his way to his room.

The halls were packed with heroes carrying boxes and papers from office to office, causing quite a commotion as the large man tried his best to make his way through. At first, he payed it little attention if any. But as Cyborg made his way further, and the crowding only got worse, he could only wonder what this was all about. And as he fell deeper into the noise everything seemed to get more and more frantic. Finally, reaching the end of his rope, he reached out and grabbed the nearest hero he recognized. The man was almost his height, although much more agile and slim than him. He was clad in blue and black with a white and black mask that just covered his eyes.

"What the heck Cy-" Nightwing began, angry at the metal hand holding him close to his friends face. He only managed to say so much before Cyborg started yelling.

"What the HELL has got everyone going CRAZY!" Cyborg demanded from his former leader. Nightwing motioned for the metal man to loose his grip on his collar, before beginning with an impatient sigh.

"I probably know just as much as you do about the treaty I guess." The dark hero answered as he perused the crowd for some sort of informant. Cyborg didn't let him go that easy.

"What treaty?" Cyborg asked, concern strong in his voice. Was there a war, or something? What country could possibly break a treaty so bad to cause the entire League to panic like this? "What the hell are you talking about Dick?"

Nightwing grew a curious look in his eye. "You mean you haven't heard? Starfire is prompting for a trade treaty between Earth and Tamaran. What I want to know is; why didn't I know first?" Cyborgs surprise seemed to burst at the seams of his head. This was news to him. He hadn't even known about communication between the two planets, except for when they would call their friend. But why wouldn't she mention it to them? Cyborg nodded to his teammate and joined him in his search.

* * *

A/N: It's been a while since I last uploaded anything. This is just a teaser chapter for my next story, will begin working much more on it soon. After Uploading this, I'll be back on my current story Problem Child. Thank you all for your support on my Tumblr. If you don't follow it already, it's on my bio. There you can recieve updates on when/where I will upload my next chapters I write.


	2. So It Begins

_**A/N: Needed an emotional break from Problem Child. Decided to work on this long haul for a little while. I really wanted to have more to get you guys into the story than that first chapter allowed, so after a lot of contemplating, I came up with this. I will continue to update this story for a long time, but not as frequently as my other works. I ant this story to be my Piece de la resistance, if you get what I mean. Anyways, If you like it please let me know in the reviews. I hope you enjoy my work, and I hope you have a great rest of your day!**_

_**-McDiggity**_

* * *

Raven loved the quiet humming of the comms room as she mediated the back and forth relays between fellow Justice League. Her job was so peaceful on most days, allowing her to observe the world below. At the moment, her window revealed they were above Africa. As she stared at the large mass of land, she couldn't imagine the borders of the countries below. It was strange, being an observer from above. The whole of the land seemed to be as one. From here it seemed strange that those lands were divided, even though the dirt flowed freely over neither friend or foe. It brought a perspective to everyone there.

But even as her thoughts dwelled on the folly of man, her thoughts drifted to the teammate she longed to hear from. The only one to truly leave. She stared at Africa and thought of Beast Boy, and of the times before his departure when he would confide his life with her. He had told her of his parents, and what his father did for him, but only briefly. Mostly he had spoken of his adventures with the natives. He had done many things, and in a surprising way he was very spiritual. She didn't remember much, but she remembered enough to know that.

As her memories flooded her mind, the room around her gradually became more chaotic. Papers were falling and holographic screens flickered. Her powers, though, were not the source. The commotion was caused by many heroes trying to control situation under hand. And, all though this was chaos, it was not enough to throw Raven out of her stupor. That is, until a large metal hand grasped her on the shoulder.

"What the hell is going on?" Cyborg demanded to know from his friend. "Did you know about all of this?"

Raven looked, stupefied, at her adopted older sibling. "What are you talk... ing..." Her attention forwarded to the pandemonium around them. "About." Nightwing put his hands to his temples in frustration. He really hated that no one he asked could give him answers. Cyborg looked just as furious as his former leader, his unoccupied hand slapping to his eyes. Raven grew a little annoyed at their bluntness. "Tell me already. What's going on?" She sternly grabbed their attention.

Cyborg opened his mouth, but when words failed to flow from his tongue, he simply gestured to Nightwing. "Ask Dick, he told me first." The blue knight slapped his cybernetic companions hand down, a slight frown on his face. "Did you know about Tamaran, Rachel?" She huffed at the question. "No, Richard, it's not like I've been there or anything." The gothic heroine dead sarcasmed. His forehead began to pop a vein. "I mean, did you know about the treaty?" Raven had to put all of her focus into her plain expression to keep her eyes from bugging out of her head.

_That's top secret. How does he know?_ And I thought things weren't going to be public until...

All three of the former Titans comms began to chirp for attention. Without missing a beat, all three young adults had their faces to the cams as a familiar duo beckoned their attention.

"Report to the Hall in twenty-five." Batman's gruff voice ordered.

"We have much to discuss." Superman's deep heroic voice finished. And just like that all three screens blanked. The trio stood for a moment. Never before had any of them got orders from this high up the chain. And never to the Hall of Justice. Things weren't right.

"I miss when the first thing we would say was 'Hi'." Cyborg broke through their personal silence, earning a glare from the others. "What?"

...

The sky was brilliantly hewn with colors from all spectrums above the blanketed landscape. To say that the area was "snowy" was an understatement, as the white fluff was almost two or three feet deep in most areas. The beautiful setting was strewn with trees of all sizes as well as large piles of rock and ice. Animals, fluffy and strong, hopped in the hutches of trees, snow, and caves alike. But, clashing against the brilliant scene beforehand, was a single cabin. A humble abode, only two rooms big, flickered with a dim light against the night. Smoke steadily rose from a single stack against the close end of the house, and a gentle crackle could be heard on occasion in late hours of silence.

Distantly a small village could be observed, and from that village walked a lone figure. He strode heavily across the countryside, his feet trudging through a familiar trench. He was clad in a large fur coat with a purple ushanka donned above snowgoggles and a shemagh. Scarfs wrapped his neck and thick gloves cloaked his hands. His true nature was completely concealed in the cotton and fur. Our wanderer hauled a large backpack, assorted with trades of all kinds. And as he lumbered across the way, his foot caught in his walk. Our stranger fell hard to the ground. Muffled choaking and hacking clashed against the silence. Red wetted the front of his mask as the fit continued. Now crawling, he was only a few yards from the cabin door. Slowly, ever so slowly, the fight for air seceeded as he rose to his feet. Stumbling tha last few strides, our character barged through the door.

It slammed behind him with a vengence as pale green hands un-gloved themselves. Basking in the warmth of his home, he removed his thick barrier against the outside cold, revealing more pale green flesh as Beast Boy stood in a sweat stained purple shirt. His lips were tinted with blood as he pulled of his face cover to reveal his grimey fangs. With a sigh, he removed the remaining of his heavy clothing revealing his normal civilian clothes, colored in omage to his former uniform. The cloth hugged tight from being wrapped so close to his skin for so long. His once strong complexion was now deep. Beast Boy stood for a while by the dying fire he had left.

He reached against his fireplace, grasping a few large logs with his claws. Throwing them into the small brick space, a torrent of sparks and ash filled above. Relishing in the comfort of the rustling fire, he paced his way to his ice box to grab some jerky and milk. Beast Boy carried his small meal over to the room opposite his fireplace. On a small shelf by the doorway sat a small box of matches and a glass lantern. Striking the red phosphorus tip, sparks alit and a tiny flame was produced on the stick. Moveing gracefully, he removed the clear chimney of the lantern to reveal the wick and grazed the fire against it. The wet rope first lit lowly but, after replacing the cover, with a turn of a knob the wick extended to brighten the flame anew.

Beast Boys path continued to an ellegantly hand carved desk accompanied by a similarly crafted bookshelf. The library was small, only two medium sized shelves big. Inside its space were a number of books; some fictions, field guides, and religous tomes among them. But what stood against the others were those not on the shevles, but instead in their own place on top. These books were without titles and were leather bound. The pages were rough and uneven against the edge, suggesting they were hand made, and were stained deep with ink. The former hero grasped the closest of these books and placed it on his desk. Opening through the pages, scribbled writing and elegant drawings flickered until he came to a clean slate.

Taking a swig from his bottle and a nibble of dry meat, he swallowed. He thanked the poor animal that had to die for his needs as he reached for his ink well. The bottle rapped as he dropped it by his book, splashing with the movement. Extending a single ink stained claw, he dipped it into his well and swirled it to collect the dark liquid. Rising from the pool, a single drop fell into the container before he moved his hand to his page. The writing was as follows:

_November 29_

_It's been a long time since I last wrote. I guess the only reason I'm writing today is because of the anneversary. It's a crazy thought that I left my family five years ago, without so much as a "Later dudes". But I know that if I had stayed, Robin would have figured me out. I mean, he's way to observant for me to have gotten away with being this... sick. I miss them though. I wish I could talk to them, but I'm to scared they'll try to figure me out. I wish I could tell them. I want them to know why, but I don't want them to hurt. I couldn't tell her, especially. It's bad enough that she would always half threaten to kill me, but she never meant it. I could never tell her I was dying._

_Anyways, today was a real drag. My furs and crafts haven't sold for a decent Ruble for weeks. I had to go back to the tavern and see what work I could pick up. I managed to convince the owner to have me chop some wood for him, so I got some supplies with my payment. I'm glad I got more cotton, cuz I ruined ANOTHER keffiyeh coughing up blood. I'm glad I stayed in Iraq for that time and learned from that old lady. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't weave those. I'd look dumb if I had to wear any more scarfs. Also, I got some pasta, which should go well in some jerky stew._

_Hunting has been pretty low recently. I hate having to kill, but I learned pretty quick that it's me or them these days. So, to make up for it, I guess you could say I pray for them. It's still weird for me though. I don't use guns like normal people, which helps with my budget. I just wander the woods nearby as a wolf, or a bear. But recently, that hasn't been very productive. Other hunters in the area are scaring away my game, and it's really getting on my-_

Ink spilled onto the page as Beast Boy accidentally caught against the lip of the bottle. "ДЕРЬМО!" SHIT! Grabbing the other side of his journal, he attempted to drain the ink back into the bottle, only slightly succeeding. The majority of the heavy liquid fell to the desk around it. Groaning in frustration, he hung the pages over the edge of his wooden desk to dry. With a grunt and a slight cough, Beast boy rose from his seat. He reached to his lantern on his desk and dialed down the flame until it was extinguished. Strolling slowly he made his way to his living space by the fire, the last bits of his meal in hand. He dropped into his rocking chair with a chuckle as he remembered his favorite John Wayne movie; The Searchers.

"Ol' Mose don't care what's next, so long as I can rest in me rockin' chair." The former Titan quoted, giggling. Gradually, he finished what was left of his supper. Once content, sleep drifted over Beast Boy with the soothing crackle of the fire.

...

With a bright flash, accompanied by a familiar tingle, our heroes entered the gallant meeting hall of the Hall of Justice. The room shown brilliantly with the crystals Superman provided from his fortress of solitude. Batman, however, filled the room with the most elegant and all the while practical furnishings. Strewn across the wall were the top line computer systems, found in any Justice League compound (Now including Titans Tower) provided by S.T.A.R. Labs and Wayne Enterprises. Accommodating the beauty were several Amazonian artifacts, provided graciously by Wonder Woman and her people. The room was easily the most high class location on the planet. The trio was struck with awe at the sheer collection before them. Raven let a smirk flow through her hood at the mystic artifacts in the room, Cyborg eyed the technological wonders, and Nightwing simply stared at his former mentor. The knights shared a knowing look as Nightwing gestured to the expressions on his friends faces.

Everyone's attention was demanded by a grunt from the large Kryptonian. Once on the center stage, Superman began. "Thank you for reporting here on such short notice." With a flick on the control pad in front of him, a holographic projection of Earth, Tamaran, and a series of news reports levitated above the center table. "I'd like to invite everyone to sit, so we can get started." Gesturing to the chairs around the grand slab before them. Batman then seemed to take the reigns.

"I know by now the three of you know about the treaty forming between Earth and Tamaran. Raven especially." Cyborg shot a curious look at the plain empath.

_She knew?_

"In case you other two don't understand, it was a trade and transport treaty to connect our systems. You are aware of the overpopulation occurring on Earth?" The young adults nodded. "Well Tamaran has the opposite problem. Their short lifespans and semi-primitive technology, combined with their planets naturally horrific landscape and wildlife, has driven them into being an endangered species. Their Queen Kori'ander, or as you know her Starfire, has asked for assistance in rejuvenating their planet. In return we will co-exist between the planets, meaning humans and tamaranians will share each others home worlds." Cyborg was the only one to physically react to the statement. Raven would have too, had she not been the one coordinating communications.

"You mean to say that humans will live on Tamaran, and tamaranians will live on Earth?" Cyborg blurted out the obvious. Superman rejoined the conversation.

"Of course, but there is one major complication." He began as the projection in the center of the room shifted. On it appeared an alien logo, depicting a tamaranian face with some hieroglyphics behind it. "This is the symbol of the K'lishnifec. Their name roughly translates in English to 'The pure of body'. They are fully opposed to the idea of 'impure, weak, and corrupt' humans sharing in their world. They stand opposed to the ideals of their Queen, going so far as to wage terrorist attacks on the palace. We don't know much more, but they are the ones who publicized the treaty in an attempt to begin a rebellion similar on Earth." Batman took a more serious tone as he opened up a new projection.

Raven had thought she had already heard everything there was to it, but apparently she didn't know everything yet. _What else could there be?_ Her thoughts began.

"Due to the endangerment of the tameranian species, it can easily be said that the civil war is split around 4,000/6,000, the Royal Family having the upper hand. However, the K'lishnifecs ranks and support are increasing daily. This, combined with their underhanded tactics of self-sacrifice bombings and no care for collateral damage, brings them toe to toe with the Queens focus of protecting her people." Batman's mood grew darker. "She is going so far as to send her royal guards into the public, claiming that she can defend herself." Superman chose his point of entry again.

"That's where you come in." He gestured to the former Titans with a smile. "We suggested that we send a crew of 'ambassadors' to assist in their planets efforts. These representatives will be played by heroes that their people are familiar with. Not only from their visit to their world, but from the Queens own adventures with them." The man of steel let his words sink in. "Not only that, you each represent what we wish to bring to their world." Walking around the room, he placed his hands on the metal mans shoulders. "Victor, you represent our technological breakthroughs. How we can better their world with good work and technological schooling." Releasing the former Titan, Superman continued his waltz and gestured over to Raven. "Rachel, you are the embodiment of the knowledge and spirit we wish to share with their world. You represent tranquility and peace." The gothic hero blushed at his kind words. And as his path ended by Nightwing, Superman once again seemed to glow with wisdom. "Richard, you are a leader through and through. You stand for the strength we offer, as well as the friendly hand we offer in peace. You will guide the knights of their world and assist the Queen in whatever matters necessary." Superman finally looked finished with his grand speech. But, even through his strong words, Raven found a flaw in what the large man had said earlier.

"What about their wildlife and ecosystem? None of us know-"

"That's the main reason we brought you here." Batman interrupted. "We know the perfect man to fill the job." As the words flowed from his mouth, the three young heroes eyes filled with hope. None more so, however, than Ravens. "I am recommending adding Beast Boy to the League." Batman finally spoke. Superman raised a fist.

"I second that." But their moment was short lived as Cyborg shot out of his seat. He was positively fuming.

"I don't know if y'all have forgotten..." He began, lowering his voice to try to sound calm. "But we've been looking for HIM for FIVE YEARS. It's going to be a little more than difficult to, say, send him a post card saying 'you've been selected to participate in an all expense trip to another galaxy'." His words were seething off his tongue. Nightwing nodded solemnly in agreement. Nobody but Batman saw what was coming next. Superman grinned and began to mutter.

"He's in Siberia."


	3. Feelings Rise

Superman's voice, though at the time quiet, seemed to echo throughout the room. The three Titans at the other end of the large table seemed to freeze, processing what had just been said. In their heads the same question seemed to repeat; Beast Boy is in Siberia? It just seemed to sudden to be true. Five long years of searching, and out of the blue came their answer. Nothing hinted to it. There was no series of clues to be followed. Just a simple, "Beast Boy is in Siberia."

Nightwing was the first to drop his state of shock. He held his hands to his head, leaning forward as if he had a migraine. The young man stayed that way, in a desperate attempt to keep his head clear. Finally, rising from his slouch, he motioned for Batman. "Can I speak with you... Outside." He stood from his spot and left without receiving any conformation from his mentor.

The cool draft of the hallway relieved his nerves slightly. Waiting a moment, he relaxed his posture against a pillar nearby. He was trying every technique he had in order to keep a cool head. He needed to have a cool head for this argument. After finally gaining some confidence in himself, Batman strolled through the double doors as passive as ever. Walking the short distance to his former student, he crossed his arms and waited for what he knew was coming. Nightwing took a deep breath. "How long?"

Batman only stared on. "How long what?"

"How long have you known where he is?"

"Long enough." Nightwing always hated his backhanded answers.

"Don't do that, Bruce. I want to know everything you know about him." Batman was surprised his once hot headed apprentice was prying so calmly. He'd really matured.

"I only recently confirmed his approximate whereabouts. However, I've had this lead for years."

"What was the lead?"

"I can't say. He's a personal informant of mine. I can say it's trustworthy."

"Why didn't you tell me you found him?"

"I assume he had his reasons. People don't just suddenly choose to live in a frozen little town without reason."

"You never really met Beast Boy, did you?"

"I've read enough about him on the former Titan database to get a grip on his character. He's a jokester, former Doom Patrol, reacts strongly on instinct."

"That's what I mean, he's never thought things through. He reacts on the fly-"

"You're wrong, Dick. From what I've seen, he's a lot smarter than you know."

"Bruce-"

"He single handily avoided all attempts of the entire Justice League at finding him. You don't do that with just instinct, that takes planning. Careful planning."

"I know Bruce but-"

"The only reason I'm telling you now is-"

Finally, Nightwing snapped. He punched the marble pillar behind him, breaking the rock and his knuckles. "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR MY FAMILY!" He yelled. "YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME! TOLD ALL OF US!... Whatever problem he has, we will help him." If Batman was surprised at the outburst, he didn't show it. "Bruce, I don't expect you to understand." Nightwing fell to the ground at the foot of the pillar. Anger poured from his eyes. "All this time I didn't know; if he was alive, dead, happy, sad, struggling. He was more than our friend. He was our brother. Him and the Titans are more family to me than Tim, Jason, Barb, or Deymian. They made me what I am today, stopped me from becoming you."

Batman simply stood for a while, observing his first protoche wail on the floor. He waited patiently for his son to rise again before placing a hand on his shoulder. "That is why I refrained from telling you. The only reason I'm bringing him forward now is because it's necessary." Nightwing only scowled at his teacher, but reluctantly accepted his half apology. Not quite appeased, he turned to rejoin the briefing. The doors were shoved open to reveal Cyborg having a similar scene with Superman. Cyborg, however, seemed to have abandoned his cool head long ago. Superman was holding his large metal fists back as the half robot groaned and seemed weary.

Finally giving uncle to the kryptonians strength, Cyborg dropped back in defeat. He was breathing hard, as if he had just fought the battle of his life. "How long have you known?" Cyborg questioned, raising a sense of déjà vu in Nightwing.

"I only found out from Batman today that he had tracked down the boy. It's ok Victor, I can understand your anger, just don't take out your anger on us." Superman offered a hand in assistance to the metal man, who accepted it graciously.

An overwhelming sense of relief settled across the room as silence overcame. It only lasted a moment before a quiet sob broke through. The men's attention was driven to the lone heroine, unmoved from her spot at the gallant table with her face in her hands. Liquid trickled down the sleeves of her leotard. Another sob quietly entered the room, accompanied by a hard shake of her shoulders. He brothers in arms finally dropped their shock at her state and, rushing to her side, began to comfort her as best they could. As they placed hands on her shoulders and back they both gave slight rubs to try and calm her emotion. But they never thought what happened next would happen.

A weepy laugh erupted from the small girl before them as she embraced her friends in a hug that put Starfire to shame. A smile broke on her face as tears continued to streak her cheeks. Raven held this feeling for a solid few seconds before the objects floating in the room caught her attention. Before breaking something irreplaceable, she began to chant her mantra. The priceless sculptures and artifacts lowered to their correct places as control began to fill her face again. Releasing her death grip on her friends, Raven turned to the lead Titan awaiting his questions. A smirk filled his face. "You seem a little excited to see Beast Boy."

Cyborg winked from behind the blue and black leader. "Were you worried about him or somethin' little lady?"

Raven smirked at their attempt at humor. On the inside. "I was worried for him, yes. Every day." She turned to the dynamic duo who called them to meet. "Thank you for bringing him to m-... us. We appreciate the help." She turned back to the hologram on the table. "Now where is he, exactly?"

Batman and Superman shot a glance at each other before sitting back at their places in front of their holo-pads. Batman zoomed the holographic globe to a point in Siberia. "I believe he has found refuge in a small village by the name of Маленькая деревня, but he could be anywhere in that area. It's a very rural area, surrounded by farmland on one side and forest on the other..."

...

The Briefing felt like it lasted forever. Raven and the others were anxious to go retrieve their friend. But even as their excitement built at the thought, doubts began to arise among the team. I mean, HE HAD left. But, if anything, finding Beast Boy would give them answers one way or another. As well as bring them peace. Just knowing that he was alive had brought Raven to tears. Actual tears of joy. She had, after all, admitted her feelings to herself a long time ago, the first year after Beast Boy had left. To herself at least.

Batman and Superman decided to reinstate the Titans as a special response team, so long as all of it's original members agreed to join. They also gave the three Titans a deadline of a full month to retrieve Beast Boy. Nightwing took up his mantle as leader as if he had never left it, ordering the other two Titans and creating a schedule on the spot. Hi demeanor was calm, but his rushed planning gave away how excited he was to have his team again. Everyone was excited. They were going to go and get Beast Boy. Yes, they only had one month to get him, but they only had to search one town.

Time began to fly quickly as they left the Hall of Justice for the Watchtower. The zeta tube tingled their senses for a moment, before revealing a red carpeted room with stainless steel walls. The space smelled of teenage years and had a calming hint of humidity. On the wall opposite them was a wide bay window, projecting a view of a familiar city. It was adorned with a few skyscrapers as well as a large red suspension bridge. It had been years since any of the Titans had laid eyes on their home of Jump City.

Nightwing turned to his friends. "Welcome home Titans."

* * *

_**A/N: I know I usually put my personal crapola at the beginning, but I figured I'd change things up a bit. Sorry it took me so long to get this out, and I know me being sick is a dumb excuse, but I didn't want to risk getting vomit on my $100 keyboard. :P also, I really wasn't in the mood to write. I couldn't take my meds (Every time I tried I'd throw up) and without my anti-depressants I went through a deep spiral of shizznit. Anyways, I'm back and better, so I whipped this up as quick as I could to get back into the swing of things.**_

_**On another note, I am going to ask you all for some help. I'm pretty lost as to where to begin my next chapter of Problem Child. Anything you guys can suggest would help (just PM me or use the "Ask me anything" on my tumblr, no need for unnecessary review filling) **_

_**Anyways, I hope you're all glad I'm back cuz I know I am. I hope to be back in the game with my other story soon for all yous guys. **_

_**And, as always, I hope you have a great rest of your day!**_

_**-McDiggity**_

_**Also sorry for the long A/N at the end. I know they are annoying.**_


	4. Feelings Rise Part 2

"Haha-ha-haaa!"

The deep laughter echoed into her ears. Cyborg was ecstatically pumping his fists with his chants of nostalgia. Both Raven and Nightwing bore similar nostalgia but not to the degree of their metallic counterpart, who had been cheering as if he had won the lottery. Everyone basked in the moment for a while longer until the blue knight broke the mood.

"Well, it's nice being here and all, but was there a particular reason you changed our destination, Vic?" Nightwing casually raised a brow to the Titan in question. He believed that they had everything they would need at the tower. Cyborg seemed to be caught off guard, still basking in his Titan years affront him, but quickly recovered.

"Well, yes and no." He smirked. "There's a few things I thought we would want for our mission, but some of it won't be ready until later." Cyborg was counting his fingers as looked to the ceiling in memory. "Only a few minor things, but I definitely have my reasons. Anyways, while I take care of a few things, why don't y'all reacquaint yourselves with your home? It's been a while since the place has had some visitors." With that, Cyborg dashingly made his exit. He seemed to want to keep an element of surprise to his reasons. The query of spending time here would go unchallenged, however, as the pair remaining gave no chase to their teammate. The answers would come with patience. Raven turned to her leader.

"I'm going to do my own thing if you-"

"Hold it." Nightwing held a halting hand towards the empath. "Before you go off to 'Batman knows where', I want you to know that I need some answers." He looked expectantly towards her. As if she should know what he was going to ask.

"Ok... What do you need to know?" Hopefully it wasn't about her emotional breakdown.

"Batman said you had already known about the dealings with Tamaran? How so?" Relief threatened to shine through the stoic barriers of Ravens face.

"I was simply in charge of making the connections to the necessary people for Starfire. I knew about the treaty, but not what it contained. I was basically one of those old phone operators, but for interplanetary calls." She answered directly.

"So, all you knew was that there was talking?" Nightwing tried to pry further.

"Well, yes. I knew that there were calls, but I was not ever a part of them. I only connected communications." Raven felt some nostalgia at how her leader would always ask the same question twice. It was annoying, yes, but he was just thorough. Nightwing began to nod slowly before turning slightly towards the window. A while of silence passed as the empath waited for further interrogation. When nothing came, Raven made a slight motion for the door.

"I never said I was done asking questions, Rachel." Raven's foot paused mid step as his words rung against her ears. Here it comes...

"What is it, Richard?"

"It doesn't take a genius to know you have feelings for BB." Her eyes shut tight as she expected the endless onslaught of questions. She wanted to reveal her emotions on her own terms, in a way that wouldn't result in annoying curiosity for what she held as personal details. "I just want you to make sure that those feelings don't obstruct our true mission. He chose to leave the Titans, and he must have had his reasons. It will be his choice whether he joins the Titans and the League, not yours. He is simply our best option, not our only option." Silence followed his words.

"Is that all?" Raven queried shyly.

"Yeah, that's all." Nightwing nodded her off as he turned to the city that was once his to protect. Raven didn't need to be told twice. Alleviated at the lack of further questioning on her "feelings", the empath strutted her way towards the dark sanctuary of her room.

...

Prickling light dimmed against his eyes as slumber lifted. Beast Boy stooped back in his chair, causing it to sway forth and back again. The motion was temptingly lulling him back to sleep. The crackling of the coals on the fire were warm, and the formed chair cradled his neck just so. So peaceful was he that he actually grew frustrated when hunger forced him from his seat. His stomach needed filling, and he knew that he had to rise for the day at some point.

Ungracefully, Beast Boy stood forward and stumbled to the wall. He felt especially weak from being so warm that night. He knew that was the last thing he needed, seeing as he needed a cold environment and clean air, not be in a stuffy cabin breathing the smog of the fireplace. The heat caused him to sweat profusely, and his chest rapidly contracted. Slinking his way to the door, Beast Boy tripped and fell onto the wall again. This time he fell to the floor. This was bad, he hadn't had an attack like this since he had come here. No crawling, he blindly followed the wall to his exit. He finally found it.

Slamming open the heavy wood door, Best Boy dropped into the snow. He was hyperventilating the clean air, and it stung with every breath. Snow melted against his hot skin as his hacking lungs filled echoed off the trees. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose, reddening the ground across from him. With one final lurch and choke, the last of the iron liquid evacuated his lungs. Relief washed over the changeling as he collapsed into the white fluff around him. It felt good against his blazing flesh. It was now that he noticed the fresh, large flakes drifting and disappearing on the nape of his exposed neck.

With a heavy thud in the snow, Beast Boy rolled unto his back to gaze at the dawning sky. Tears drifted down his blushing green cheeks. This was the first time in a long time that he had felt the outside air against his skin. And it would still be longer before he let anyone see it. No measure of scarfs, gloves, or face wrapping concealed his strikingly colored flesh. He wished he didn't have to hide, to hurt alone. But he knew it was for the better. The newspapers he ordered at the Inn had kept him somewhat up to date on his friends. Nothing about Robin or Starfire, though. He assumed those two had finally fallen off the radar together. But Raven and Cyborg had taken up their lives with the league.

Beast Boy was so jealous of his two friends. They were living the dream. Fighting with the big guns. What he wouldn't give to be with them. The former hero missed his days of bashing baddie butt, then relaxing with his best friend to cool off his jets. But... It was for the best they didn't see him die. He knew that Cy would devote all his energy to invent some sort of cure for his deteriorating DNA. His late fathers friend and fellow scientist, Dr. Rhoan, had worked at the same goal in S.T.A.R. Labs. Sadly after a full two years with no results, the boy had simply given up. He accepted he was going to die a very long, very painful death. He knew that no matter how much she had threatened to end it before, he could never let Raven know. She may have an icy, rough exterior, but he knew she was warm and fuzzy on the inside. And he definitely didn't want to be the one to shatter her control. It was better that she...

That she...

It was better she didn't know. Didn't know how he felt. Didn't know why he left. Didn't know how much he missed her. Didn't know... That his very being was tearing itself apart. It was all for the better that he disappear. That Beast Boy go into hiding into an environment that would slow the process of his deteriorating DNA. He could practically feel his life slipping away every day.

With a heavy ache in his heart, Beast boy drifted from his thoughts back to reality. His body was beginning to freeze and shiver. He slowly and begrudgingly rose from his hole in the frozen blanket. The changeling then found that the day had fully progressed into morning. He needed nourishment. So Beast Boy finally made his way back inside his humble cottage, stomach growling in complaint.

...

The sunset was absolutely beautiful over Jump City Bay, Titans Tower's unobstructed view making it all the more so. The resilient orange light shone heavily into the common room, heating the two Titans on the round sofa. The window flickered into a television screen as Nightwing pointed a remote. He was sprawled out, legs lazily swung out with his arms on top of the backrest. Levitating opposite of him book in hand, Raven furrowed her brow as the sudden voices of a newscasters disrupted her reading. The knight formerly mentioned was flipping through all of the news feeds.

_"Our top story tonight-... Breaking news-... Is Earth alone-... Rumors of extraterrestrial relations-... Tamaran! This planet is inhabited-... We now go live to the White House." _

The remote shattered underneath Nightwings grip as he stopped on a particular live protest. Outside the Presidents home, people had taken up a riot; burning stereotypical alien pictures and hanging dummies alike from nooses. There were a series of signs proclaiming "Keep them out", "Earth comes first", and "E.T. FLY HOME!". The sight bittered the tongues of the heros. Raven shut her book hard as her powers shut off the screen.

"What the Trigon was that?" She queried. Nightwing grit his teeth as he moved to answer.

"Some people. I just wish they would get off this planet." With that he turned and kicked a cushion that had fallen to the floor, exploding it into a cloud of feathers. "If you need me, I'll be in the training room." Nightwing mumbled as his feet stomped out the door. Raven understood his anger, she was feeling it almost as much as he was. However, instead of burning out her frustration on some training equipment, Raven decided to pay a visit to Cyborg. She really wanted to know how much longer she was going to wait.

Floating onto her feet, the empath strode in the opposite direction her leader had gone. She didn't know where exactly her friend was, but she knew where to start looking. Leaving the common room, she founder her way through the familiar halls. Every corner had a close memory for the heroine. The bathroom, where many a prank had been pulled; the motor oil balloon, the surprise stankball attacks, and the time Cyborg put red dye in Beast Boy's body wash. At her left she passed the corridor that lead to the control room, where they had been chased by her manifested fear. Raven kept walking, passing memory after memory, until she met a particular door.

On the stainless steel surface read the name BEAST BOY. Turning towards it cautiously, Raven peered up and down the hall to check for prying eyes. Seeing none, she waved open the door and strode in slightly. The room was just as he left it, a clean slate. Everything he had ever owned was gone. The green walls had paled in the light of the window, giving the room a ghostly look. His bunk bed had been stripped of its sheets leaving two bare mattresses. But one thing had truly left the room empty for Raven. Beast Boy's aura was completely stripped. Nothing of his past emotion remained, it had dissipated over the last five years. It made the room feel so stuffy for her. Like it was closing in.

It made Raven move to the window, opening it slightly to allow the chilling breeze upon her face. The wind blew and chilled against her cheeks, reddening the tip of her nose. She basked in the comfort the rushing air was giving, thankful for the blustery winters of Jump City. But her attention to the outside air was demeaned, as a subtle flapping sounded in the room. Curious to the noise, Raven followed the sound to where it was loudest. Slowly, but surely, the sorceress found her way to the desk. Though, there was nothing in sight. Her face scrunched as she began to inspect the desk from top to bottom. Finding nothing all around it, she used her powers to lift the desk from it's place. Behind where the metal table had been lay a picture, forgotten by time and obviously forgotten by Beast Boy. Raven reached down, gripping the dusty corner as she flipped the picture to face her. It was one of the Titans, when the team was first made.

The girl gasped as she observed the blood spattered on the side of the picture. It wasn't much, but it was still obviously blood. She began to wonder how it got there, and whose it was. In the back of her mind a little voice spoke.

_It's Beast Boy's..._

Her breath hitched as realization dawned on her as she remembered what Nightwing had said earlier. "He had his reasons for leaving..." Raven breathed. Raven teleported the evidence into the pocket dimension she used in place of, well, pockets. With a determined step out the door, she finally made her way back to the search for her cybernetic companion.

* * *

_**A/N: Heyo peoples and peeps alike! Got back on the ball with this next chapter, hopefully it it much more satisfying to y'all length wise. Anyways, not much to update yous guys on except that I won something! Yes, I actually won something! Anyways, it was cool because it kind of took me by supprise lol. **_

_**So in return, I'm a give a special shout out to my new buddy **_**EX3451**_**, or just X for shorts. He's super cool and is currently writing one of my favorite stories so far, **__**Pausing the Flow**__**. If you don't read it yet, you should. It is one of the most unique and awesome stories I've read to date.**_

_**Another author you peeps should check out is **_**LigerEye**_**. This dude is mad cray! His Fic **__**Ascension of the Beast**__** is another of my absolute favorites. It is totes cool and original and inspired and awesome. Seriously send them a looksy too.**_

_**Anyways, enough of fanboying of other writers. **_

_**Goodbye, and as always, have a great rest of your day!**_

_**-McDiggity**_


	5. Other Side of Things

_**A/N: Sorry I didn't have this out sooner. I went through draft after draft with the first part of this chapter until I found something that wasn't totally stupid in my eyes. It also didn't help that I'm adjusting to a lot of changes in my life. If you've read Problem Child or my tumblr, you already know the next bit so you can just skip it. Otherwise, it's a huge life update.**_

_**I was Diagnosed with Parkinsons. It's not fun, but it explains a lot of the difficulties I have every day. I'm already experiencing a few of the major symptoms; Tremors, stiffness in all my muscles, short term memory on occasions, the list goes on. Apparently, my MDD depression was inaccurately diagnosed, as my brain isn't just low on producing dopamine, it's almost non existent. So, ya, it's been quite an emotional ride for me these last few weeks. If you read this and care about me, thank you I really appreciate any support you guys give. It's been rough and I really am just here for you guys so, ya. Either way, I hope you have a great rest of your day.**_

_**-McDiggity**_

* * *

Tamaran. Home to the famously barbarian race, this planet had once been a voluptuous paradise. Though now, the planets natural wildlife was all but annihilated. Vast deserts and wastelands cover much of the worlds surface, ravaged by war and famine. The only remnant of the time long past, a palace seemingly untouched by time. The egg-shell colored walls of the towers contrasted against the once entirely barren landscape encompassing it's magnitude. Though still lacking in natural flora and other plant life, the country surrounding the royal palace had built to a fair city, daunting in size yet noticeably booming. The structure of this city diverged from the elegant form of the palace centering it, choosing efficiency over style. This is not to say that the city had no class, for it was still quite an amazing sight, but it paled in comparison to the beacon of hierarchy centering it. Crafts of all kinds floated from tower to tower below, some small and others large, and they gave the land a static movement that seemed to bring back life.

On a high terrace of the center most towers, a noble of the highest class observed the red sky of sunset, basking in the glow it shown on her people. These people, these Tameraneans were her responsibility. Koriand'r had built this new society in hopes of restoring peace among her people. She had introduced Earth customs to their government, establishing a peaceful imperial republic among the many clans of her people. She had brought attention that assisting one another, or being nice, was not weakness. For by combining the strength of the And'r, I'iten, and Ralv'r clans, New Galfore had become a peaceful sanctuary for many. The first established conjoined city of Tamaran, it did not take long for a plentiful progress to be shown. The city had been built only a few months before several other, smaller clans took refuge in the safety of New Galfore. But not all had seen this new booming society as a good omen.

Just as many Tameranians were frightened by the idea of change. They feared for the loss of their culture, their very way of life. For the warrior clan of Malk'r, where everything was ran by a unanimous anarchy, the idea of laws and peace seemed... threateningly boring. The strong race was quick to make its efforts to push against the idea of organized society, along with the other clans of warriors wishing to cling to their ways of old. Empress Koriand'r would simply give them the same options as the others under her rule.

"You may hold onto the traditions of your tribe on your land," She had said. "But I simply ask that you work with the others among us to rebuild our once great home world. I have seen how the Humans of Earth preserve their world. They have lush trees which bear sweet fruit, fields of grains to make dough, and cattle of creatures known as pigs and cows. They work together for the betterment of their people. I ask you now why can't we, the great Tameranean children of X'hal, build our society to prosper as Earths does? They offer their hand to us in blorthog, to make us strong as a whole once again. Why do you refuse?" The grand hall had silenced for a moment after that first speech. And shortly after, many of the attended opposed clans left shouting slander at each other. A few had stayed and mulled over what she had said. Fewer still had absolutely agreed while the rest attempted for additional negotiations.

But even as things were looking up, the other clans decided to join forces. They had decided to deem the Imperial Republic of Tamaran "impure" and began with openly mocking them by calling themselves K'lishnifec, or the pure. At first Koriand'r had deemed action against these people unjust, as they were simply speaking their mind. But things took a turn for the worst recently.

It was several months ago that the first bombing had occurred. It had been the new civilian police station she had established. The casualties were devastating. Forty warriors had died along with eighteen bumgorfs. It had been accompanied with an ancient symbol. A crudely drawn face backed by the familiar lettering of K'lishnifec. These bombing had been ruthless, following one after another. Few days in between had been free of some sort of extremist crime be it; robbery, assault, murder, or even sabotaging food and drink. Things were falling apart, driving the young Empress to lay awake at night.

It was for these very reasons that she was restlessly staring into the red sunset. She hoped an answer for her peoples peace would arrive. She needed a miracle. She needed her friends. With a smirk, the former hero remembered her family of Earth. The Teen Titans had made many a miracle in their days, even saving the universe from the Trigon apocalypse. Her friends had been strong, smart, and determined as she was now with her planet. She Wished she could have them assist her in her peoples time of need. She could think of so many ways each of them could help. Raven could mediate during negotiations, and her empathy would make her an excellent judicial member. Cyborg, with his technical genius, could probably create all sorts of wonders to begin the prospering of her people. Beast Boy could teach them so much about the dangerous wildlife of their planet, as most creatures were wild and avoided by the hunters. And Robin. Koriand'r would rather no other man stand by her side and lead her people. He could train their warriors and police in so many ways as well. Robin was an excellent leader in their time. He would know what action would be best to take. She needed Robin for the safety of her people, if not only for his sheer comforting presence.

Dropping to her knees, facing the sunset, the empress began praying to the warriors of old to bring forth a miracle from X'hal. To bring her friends to her in her time of need. She prayed hard for the peace of her people, and for the quelling of this rebellion. But most of all, she prayed for the soul of her past K'Norfka, Galfore, and that his warriors spirit would shine through the tragedies that ended his and so many others lives to lead them to X'hals promised land. With that, she turned towards her grand room as the sky darkened to night. She slipped from her royal gown into a white silk nightgown, and into her bed. Finally as she began to fade into sleep, she mutter her final prayer once again.

"Please, X'hal, bring me my friends. I need them."

A gold star twinkled brilliantly in the sky, then disappeared without a trace.

...

The cotton keffiyeh wrapped tightly to his cheeks as Beast Boy dressed for the day. The fresh cloth itched the peak of his nose and grabbed at his short whiskers, as the fabric wasn't worn in yet. He regretted letting his other shemagh get ruined by his coughing fit the other day. The cotton required to make these wraps wasn't cheap in these parts and really took a toll on his budget. But Beast Boy lacked the supplies to remove the blood stains, and it would only make trading furs and finding farm work that much harder if you were covered in old blood. It also didn't help that he covered every inch of his body, people had a hard enough time trusting him as it was. For the sake of his survival, he would have to manage, buying new clothes when others were ruined.

Turning towards the mirror across him, he inspected his disguise for any misgivings. Finding every article of clothing in order, the boy made his way to his leather pack to ready his supplies and sale for the day. Though his stock of trades was humble, the quality of the rabbit and wolf pelts he offered were of the highest quality. He hated demeaning himself to a fur trader, but he hadn't much choice in these areas. The only place that had accepted him to stay was the домашний Inn on the other side of the small village, but the rates to stay there outweighed what he could ultimately afford. He held no hard feelings towards the inn keeper for having such high rates, as the bar was plenty affordable and rich with locals looking for an extra farmhand or hunter. It seemed the only place that the locals willingly conversed with each other, so Beast Boy had given up trying to go door to door to trade.

Packing what was left of his jerky and milk, the cloaked and wrapped hero hauled the hefty bag over his shoulders. Pelts and cloth adorned the sides along with the many knives he carried with him. Beast Boy never found defensive need for them, but they helped keep up his image of a "Mountain Man" or "Горный Человек" as the locals called him. He also tended to use them as tools when assisting the ranchers. A man on a mission, Beast Boy strode out into the blanketed landscape. Hours of walking laid ahead of him if he wanted to make the town by mid day. With a heavy sigh that left a dense fog affront his mask, Beast Boy marched in the direction of the small village of Маленькая деревня.

The soft snow crunched underfoot down his icy path. The path was clearly visible, as the snow was much higher on either side of his trek. The wind lightly ruffled his scarf and trench coat, then began to blow much harder. At first the new gust of wind stinging his eyes received his full attention. Stopping in his tracks, Beast Boy tugged at his shemagh to better guard his eyes. That was when he heard it. The soft rumble of a growl. Turning to the source behind him, all the boy saw was a fresh path intersecting his own. Then there was a whimper, again behind him. Shifting to the form of a wolf, his clothes formed loosely around his new form. He turned and snapped at the air, only to see the familiar eyes of Misha, the Inn keepers dog. She was limping towards him as Best Boys wolf eyes fell to her front foot. She must have gotten it stuck in some kind of trap, as a steel wire was wrapped tight enough to bleed her thin leg. Nuzzling his mask off his muzzle, Beast Boy licked her wounds before shifting to his regular form and gently lift her paw to the light. Replacing the lower part of his mask over his face, he peered at the wire dug into her skin.

It was a tight wrap, but seemed fairly new as with the exception of the huskies blood, it was fairly clean. And traps like these weren't legal in these parts. With a glare towards the forest, Beast Boy grasped his scarf in his hands. He wished he could remove the wire trap here and now, but he didn't want to risk disturbing the pups wound more. So instead he wrapped his scarf tightly around Misha's paw and hauled her over his shoulders. With a determined pace, he jogged his way through the snow for the last mile to the Inn. The snow and wind was forming into a blizzard as the white clouded his vision within ten feet of him. The only things guiding him now was his keen muscle memory of the road and his instinct in direction. When he didn't see the familiar walls of the Inn for ten minutes, worry began to set, but just as quickly as it came it was relinquished. Ahead of him was a light at about chest height, the flame lantern for the Inn.

Beast Boys steps hurried as he ran for the door. Reaching the steps, he began the four step climb when his leg fell between the steps. The rest of his body continued its journey forward, his shin pivoting in the step. One the strain was too great, the bone snapped to erupt a wail from our hero. The two fell hard to the ground, Beast boy hitting his head hard. The last thing he heard as blackness settled in his vision was the door slamming open and yelling.


	6. Other Side of Things Part 2

_**A/N: I'm really late posting this. Lots of delays and lots of issues pushed and pushed this project back. Sorry. Enjoy!**_

When Raven finally approached the sanctuary of her older brother figure, the garage, the door slipped open to reveal the larger Titan happily bearing a slim metallic case at his side. A grin was plastered to his human features though it was slightly diminished by the dark circle brandished under his eye. An aura of solder and other components was stuck to his being, wrinkling the empaths nose at the strong scent. As she finished observing her friend, her attention was brought back at the realization that he had been speaking.

"I'm sorry, Vic. What were you saying?" She managed to ask without any hint of her embarrassment.

"I asked if y'all were ready for my surprise?" Cyborgs unoccupied hand pointed to the case opposite it. "I'm itching to give off the big reveal." The smirk of his lips was unwavering. Raven hadn't seen him smile such since they had reunited with Nightwing at the league. To say her curiosity was peaked was a slight understatement.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm pretty sick of waiting around waiting to go and get our BB." The sorceress nodded. She had taken up the nickname for her teammate over the years as his full name had become an unspoken taboo among them.

Cyborg nodded, his smile receding into a slight upturn of his lips, and brought up the intercom for the tower. "Nightwing, meet us in the common room. We're ready." His deep voice rung through out the halls as they began their walk to therefore mentioned room. As the duo made their way, Raven couldn't help but sense the intense pride and excitement rolling off of her robotic companion. Something she hadn't sensed from him since his days of obsessing over the T-Car.

Time passed slowly with their walk, until the door they reached slid soundlessly open to reveal the blue knight awaiting them. Nightwing nodded his head to the silver case under Cyborgs arm. "Is that what we were waiting for?"

The referenced Titan nodded, grinning again as his bulky hands laid the case on the kitchen counter. "Feast your eyes!" He announced dramatically as two chrome switches flicked away from his thumbs. Slowly, the lid revealed to unleash the foam padded contents concealed within. Center of the container sat five familiar disks adorned with short antennae. Affront them sat a black and white emblem of a "T", but around was painted an unfamiliar blue that matched the cybernetics of the teen before them. "I present to you the new Titans Communicators!" He bellowed with his unwavering smile.

Unexpected to him, the Titans before him only raised a brow each. "Soooo, you added LEDs and blue paint to our old communicators? That's what you were doing?" Raven skepticised, unsure why they wouldn't just use their standard issue Justice League phones. Her words visibly deflated the cybernetic heroes excitement. His smile, however, never faded past his downtrodden glare.

"Do you really think I'd do this as a waste of time guys?" He questioned. When Nightwing shrugged and Raven offered no response, Cyborg sweat dropped. "Geez, would it kill you guys to be a little excited for these babies?"

Raven quirked her brow again. "Why? It's just a comminicat-"

"Wrong!" The large man interrupted, waggling a finger a hairs breadth from her nose. "Observe." He picked up one of the disks and flipped open a screen display behind the front of the device. When he poked a few keys and flipped it shut, a blue streak flowed up his arm. Behind the surge appeared to be... dark flesh? Before long, standing before them was what appeared to be a fully human Victor Stone. His hazel eyes gleamed in pride at his friends now present smirks. "I added an updated holo feature along with some scent modifiers for cover while finding our boy!" He showboated along with his seemingly flexing human parts. "I figured that he would go into hiding if he knew we were looking for him. So, why not search incognito?"

Nightwing grew a smirk of confidence. "That's genius!" He cheered and high-fived into the air. He was left hanging though, as his friends only stared at him with a confused quirk in their brows. The leader quickly regained his strong headed demeanor with a cough to his fist. "I mean, good work Victor. I assume you have these set for all of us?" His black gloved hand gestured over to the remaining disks.

"Well duh! Of course I did, Dick. What kind of inventor would I be if I didn't make it universal?" As Cyborg, or Victor Stone as he appeared, walked back to his case he gestured for the other two to come closer. "Here, take these and I'll see how things turned out." Each of his teammates grasped the blue tools nostalgically. He began the task of explaining all of the new features.

Cyborg had gone on for hours about all of the new technical features he added to their gadgets. He had really crammed a lot of new features into the familiar disks. All sorts of medical features, life alerts, scanning features, and access to any and all forms of internet from anywhere. Most of these features came courtesy of the watchtowers zeta-stream tech. However, all features mentioned earlier were not available on their old League phones or were greatly improved. Though, even though they could spend the rest of their days checking out their new toys, eventually a low feminine voice pulled them all back to their mission.

"These will definitely help us find him." Raven spoke with a determined expression. "You guys as ready as me to get him back?" She looked to her brothers. The empath was more than pleased to find the same look of anticipation soaking through their features.

"Let's go get our boy."

...

The thrum of a fresh headache greeted Beast Boys awakening. A bright light was being shown into his pupils. It faded with lingering flickers of purple and green sunspots as a slender face queried affront him. He wore round, thin glasses over his cold steel eyes. He had a look of disdain flooding his features as he measured every action and reaction of the waking hero. Slim fingers scrawled on a black clipboard. It was then that he realized the curious person was talking.

"... And you say he's been in your town for around two years?" Those chilling eyes turned to an unseen presence.

"Yes. I never thought that we were in the presence of... of..." A strong familiar voice seemed strong in disbelief. "Of a Titan."

Alarm stung in his throat as Beast Boy rose from his prone position. Panicking, his ungloved paws felt the bare skin of his face. He was exposed. God he had messed up. Strong hands grasped his shoulders and squeezed slightly. Other obstructions joined the strong paws bracing him back to the bed centering the room. "You need to calm down Beast Boy! You are among friends." The accented voice of Somov, the Innkeeper, tried to console the shape shifter. "You need to lay still while we cast your leg."

"And I need to ask you a few questions." The slim doctor returned to his side with his dull clipboard, scribbling more unseen words. "While you were out, you had a terrible fit of coughing that ended with a substantial amount of blood. Have you been diagnosed for it?" Rocks dropped in the changelings stomach. His teeth clenched.

"Yeah... Yeah I have." He answered, toned so as to avoid further interrogation. His attempts went unnoticed.

"Might I ask, what is it?"

"None of your business."

Finally, the gangly physician dropped the subject turning to his assistant who had been tending wholeheartedly to the cast before him. "Well, if that's all." The half-cracked doc held his hand expecting quick payment. Beast Boy groaned loudly as he reached for his pocket, only to have Somovs hand grasp his wrist. His green eyes followed up affront him to witness the burly man paying the bill in full, as well as bribing him to keep quiet with an extra handful of Rubles. His deep brown eyes found his green ones.

"That's for saving my Misha." Somov half grinned. Beast Boy recalled saving the wounded husky. Before he could ask about the pup, his purple ushanka was thrown his way. Accompanying it were his shemach and scarves. Again he tried to ask, but was beaten by Somovs strong voice. "You should cover up. Wouldn't want you being recognized on your way to see her. She's wrapped up good, should be fine." The weak hero released the breath he'd been holding. With a nod to the doc, Beast Boy wrapped his features and donned his hat. Crutches were laced in his hand and the changeling hobbled his way after the bulky form of the Innkeeper.

...

The sinewy strands of electricity tingled all of Ravens senses as the Tower shifted forms to that of the space station she had become far too familiar with. Particle by particle, her form was reconstructed to emerge behind her two larger brothers. She observed as Nightwing, at the front of their three body group, walked with an authority he hadn't shown since before the league. And everyone knew why. A hole in his life was beginning to fill again, and even if she wasn't an empath she would know how much he had missed having a team. His team. Her family.

But he wasn't the only one who held a new warm aura. Cyborg had a glint in his eye that she had never remembered missing until now. When the Titans had split, something changed inside the metal man. At first it had been little changes, like spending less time lounging around the T-Car and more time studying maintenance on the Tower. But it eventually grew to him relying more on protein baths and basic nutrients instead of feasting every meal. She never knew how much he had changed. But even he was not the largest change.

Unknown to Raven, she had changed the most among them. No one would have been able to tell from outside, for her personality had been the major change. Without the comfort of her friends at most times, she had tried to remain in solitude in the Watchtower when possible. But as she observed Cyborg and Nightwing interacting with the league, she eased into her role as the public loner. Gradually, more and more often heroes would notice her meditate in the observatory. Initially, she was left unperturbed. Until the sorceress began light conversation with passersby. She was the only hero to offer an ear to any and alls words, other than Aquaman and Wonder Woman, and eventually everyone held a silent acknowledgement for her place. Though, not observable to her, these minor conversations and sharings had changed her ways majorly.

And now one would be able to see the slightest hint of a smile grace her lips, even if they weren't a Titan. All because of one thing.

Hope that she would find Beast Boy.

"I'm going to request zeta transfer to Siberia." Nightwing began to inform his friends. "We don't have any platforms in the area, so we might have to boom tube to the surface." He looked to Cyborg. "Vic, I want you to acquire us some transportation. And we'll need some civilian tents if push comes to shove." The demanding gaze drifted to the empath. "Rachael, assist him and add anything else you deem necessary to the list." Now he held his hand in a mock wave. "Meet back here in twenty. Titans, Go." Though he didn't yell it with enthusiasm as he had before, Raven could feel Nightwings excitement as the worthy words left his lips.

"Alright, Rae, come on and we'll pack reserves and stuff."

Soon, so soon, they would be leaving for their friend. For her heart.


	7. Preparations

Cyborg was halfway through his mental list of supplies as he looked over to his adopted sister, Raven, staring out the nearest window to the planet below. Something had definately been gnawing at the edge of her thoughts ever since they went back to the Titans Tower. She had been drifting into her thoughts most unlike her usual demeanor. Just like now, she would stop everything she was doing to gaze into an nonexistant distance. He could only wonder what she was thinking under that hood of hers. With a snap of his fingers, he attempted to bring the empaths attention back to their duty of gathering provisions.

Raven jolted back to reality with a startled gasp, one hand grasping at her hood. "Sorry Vic, just got distracted." She appologised, grasping at packs of rations to stow away in the duffle bag affront her. Cyborg stared at the small woman's movements as she went about her task. When he finally feigned ignorance, he found that she gradually fell into her earlier line of thought. Once again, the gothic heroine stared longingly at the Earth below.

Now Cyborg was worried. He had never seen her so negatively distracted in his life. With another snap of his fingers, he tried to bring her back among the living. Instead of her earlier start, instead she reacted by looking at his mechanized face with a question in her eyes. But it soon faded as she returned to the satchel in her arms. Raven was busily placing dehydrated foods into her pack again, but slowly her pace dwindled until she was once again frozen with her gaze staring to the land below them. The girl finally spoke.

"Why do you think he left?"

It was a simple question, one he had asked himself many times only to shirk off all possible answers. Not because he wasn't curious, but because the possible answer scared him. Any questions he had about Beast Boy scared him. Cyborg looked to the empath with a stern eye. She seemed to not really be asking him specifically as she continued.

"I mean, was it something we did...? I did? Does he hate us?" Ravens stare shook as she continued. "And even before he left. Before he was gone, he almost seemed seperated from the team. he would lock-" A metal finger shushed her rambling lips before another cold arm drew her into Cyborgs chest. For a moment, everything froze as the sorceress grew weepy against his hard, ungiving pectorals. "I'm scared, Victor."

This was the first time since their green friends disappearance that they had any real hope of finding him. Cyborg knew why she was scared, because when you're this close to anything doubts arise.

Raven made to talk again, but was quickly shushed by her metallic brother. "Listen, Rachael." His voice was tougher and stronger than he really felt. "Don't worry about the answers. We'll find him, and when we do, he'll answer I'm sure." She shuddered against his strong form as chilling relief filled her small form. They stood in each others embrace for a few moments until they slowly drifted back to their task. Raven was still distracted by her worries, but visibly less so. It took a while after their task was completed.

"Do you think he'll be the same BB we remember?"

Cyborg huffed again at her relentless questions. Though, this one caused her more worry than he thought it should.

"I'm pretty sure he's the same green bean, why?" Cyborg answered, peering at her from the corner of his human eye. Raven crossed her arms and hugged tight.

"I... I don't know if I will be able to recognize his aura." Cyborg raised his human brow at that, prompting her to elaborate. "It's been five years already. And if he's changed in some major way... I don't know if his aura will be the same."

"You think he won't be BB anymore?" Cyborg glumly stated while rubbing his neck. Raven nodded, then shook her head. Biting her lip in frustration, she spoke forth.

"Yes... No... Y-I dunno..." She reached her right hand to grasp her opposite arm, a sure sign of her fear. The metallic man before her understood her apprehension; they had a great deal riding on Beast Boy. And he didn't know himself whether he was still their friend he once was. But there was only one way to find out.

"Listen, Rachael." Cyborg had a comforting tone. "The only way we'll ever know any of this is to find him. And that's what we're going to do." His heavy hand grasped Ravens shoulder with some tension. "We can't just let this be. We have to find him, and we'll never know anything until we do." His confidence began to flow from his gaze into hers. With a new determination in her eyes, Raven nodded and returned to the task at hand.

...

It had only taken Nightwing a few minutes of his allotted time to patch through the boom tube request. Of course, he had known it wouldn't take long at all, he had simply wanted some extra time to search for his own answers. Answers to how Batman knew the location of his friend. It would be no easy task, as his access to the Oracle was severed the same day the Teen Titans were created. But he had been with the elusive dark knight for far to long to not know his way in the back-doors.

He had saved this trick for all of his life. Knowing Bruce, he knew he would only ever be able to use it once. The blue knight had been tempted many times before, most of it being Slade's doing, but he had saved this golden ticket for an opportunity such as this. And he desperately needed answers. To know what his mentor knew.

_Why did Beast Boy leave?_

He didn't know just how much Batman knew, but he needed to know as much as possible. The way his mentor had stated 'He had his reasons' dropped a rock in his gut. Every instinct he had was telling him that his friend was in danger. He needed to know if he was safe.

Nightwing approached his room, strutting quickly to the keypad by his door. With a flick of his fingers on the pad, the steel swished aside to his standard issue room. Making his way to his desk, he took a seat affront his holo-computer. Light ticks on his keyboard accompanied by his slim fingers waving icons and commands through the air eventually brought him to the command input for the Bat Cave. And empty bar held a blinking cursor. Above it stood one word.

_Password?_

A smirk found the lips below his domino mask. A compartment at his hip clicked open to reveal a small flash card. Without missing a beat, his gloved fingers inserted the USB device. Not long after, the screen flickered for a moment.

_Welcome back Richard._

Nightwing didn't have much time now. At any moment, Batman could remotely detect his intrusion. So, without a second to lose, he began searching through files for anything to do with his friends.

_Non-threats: Former Heroes: Jump City: Teen Titans..._

"Beast Boy." Nightwing murmured as files concerning the changeling sorted across his holoscope. Pictures from newspapers filled a large portion of his screen, as well as some personal records on the young man. A few particular articles caught his eye.

_World Class Biologists Tragic Accident_

_MultiMillionaire Nickolas Galtry Found Guilty of Attempted Murder_

_Doom Patrol Adopts Shape Shifter_

All of them seemed interesting, but none of them fit into his limited access time. Finally, some more recent files popped onto the screen. One was a map with a red line leading from points all over the world, the other were a series of reports from STAR Labs. Nightwing decided to take on the lab files first. Inside were a series of dates, ranging from his last year with the Titans, to about a onth after leaving.

"Beast Boy, why would you be at STAR Labs?"

With a swipe at the first file, words began to flow forth:

_CASE FILE: R3B007_

_SUBJECT: Logan, Garield M. a.k.a. Beast Boy_

_AUTHENTICATION: Dr. Roahn_

_Patient is experiencing extreme pain at the-_

Static flowed over the files as his holo-computer shut down, burning out it's hard drive in the process. Anger flowed through every vein in his fit body. With a smash on his desk, Nightwing shattered his keyboard and yelled in frustration.

"DAMNIT!" He screamed as sweat built on his brow. "FUCKING HELL, BRUCE!"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. His communicator rang, hailing to the dark night. Nightwing took one look at the device and threw it away. The blue knight had grown sick of his mentors secrets. He always knew, and he never shared anything untill it was too late. And this was one case where the former boy wonder desperately wanted things to be on time. For his family to be safe. The comm he had thrown across the room rang again, though this time flashing the name of one of his teammates. He grasped the buzzing device as Cyborgs voice rang through the tool.

"Hey, we're all packed up here. How's things on your end?"

Nightwing thought fora brief moment before answering. "Things are good here on my end." He paused and looked at the sizzling remains on his desk. "Listen, there's been a change of plans..."

...

_**A/N: The story LIVES! Sorry it took so long to post this shizz, but I was just busy busy busy. Hope you enjoyed and have a great rest of your day!**_

_**-McDiggity**_


	8. End of Prologue

_**I'mmmm Baaaaack!**_

_**I know it's been a while, and I had said I'd update quickly, but things happened and I couldn't get in the mood. Gonna try to do this again, so please leave a review on how well or bad I've kept my writing after this long break.**_

_**-McDiggity**_

"What do you mean there's been a change of plans?" Cyborgs voice boomed into the communicator. Raven had seen him tense from the corner of her eye, and when she heard Nightwing say that she had a sinking feeling the metal Titan would not be happy.

"I mean that I can't search with you two. There are answers I need first."

Raven frowned. "You mean you're leaving us to find him on our own? You do realise how much more that leaves us to cover, right?" She was not looking forward to the snowy landscape as it was, but losing a man from their search party? Raven didn't like the sound of it. Nightwings voice buzzed through the disk again.

"I understand." Regret seemed back his words. "But there are answers being hidden from me. I need to know how Batman-"

"You're just pissed that the big man has better sources." Cyborg interrupted. "I know you feel like he's keeping something important from you, but I'm sure that we'll find it out from BB when the time comes."

"And what if that time is too late?" Nightwing sternly replied. "What if the problems he's having are a potential threat to his position on our team? I have to know what he needs!" His fist audibly clenched through the mic. "We don't even know if he wants to join us. Maybe what I find could be the tipping point to his decision to join us? We need every card on the table."

There was a long stretch of silence before Raven sighed for a moment. "He's right."

Cyborgs human eye zeroed in on her slight form. "What do you mean he's right? We were just discussing how hard it might be to find him, and you think our third set of eyes shouldn't look with us?"

Raven stoically glared in return of his gaze. "Yes. What good will finding him be if we can't help him, or convince him to return?" Her words fell hard on his metallic ears. "I know it's a price to pay, but I'd rather it take a few days longer to find him than not be able to help. I want to be able to convince him to return." Her eyes drifted to the infinite. "I need to be able to."

Cyborg stood stern, eyes closed as he forced. "But the issue here is if we can find him." He waved a hand for emphasis. "You both seem to be forgetting that he's hidden from the entire Justice League. Every member has had at least one go at the search for the dude! Even Question searched fullheartedly for our boy. You think that the two of us will be able to find him on our own?" The metalic Titan held his communicator close to his mouth. "Richard, more than anything we need your detective skills to find him." As he finished his final argument, Cyborg looked at the small comm pleadingly.

"I'm sorry Victor." Nightwings leaderly voice crackled through. "But I need to follow this lead. And it's not that Batman has the info that makes me suspicious. It's that he's deliberately trying to stop me from knowing." As his words came through, Cyborg visibly seemed to deflate. "Beast Boy went to STAR Labs."

That caught the attention of the teammates as the focused sternly on his voice. "He went where?" Raven asked. Cyborg took her question.

"STAR Labs is a research facility devoted to bringing forth the peak of our future. They lead the whole world in technological, genetic, atomic, and medical studies." He deeply answered. Cyborg turned back to his device. "Where did you hear this, Dick?"

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that I'm heading there while you two search for our boy. Nightwing out."

With a click, all further conversation was ceased. The device clutched in the larger Titans hand followed in suit. The room fell silent before the duo sighed. "Well, I guess that's that." The metal man announced, rather miffed. "Just you and me, looking for BB while Dick lives up to his name and ditches us to follow some 'lead'." Air quotes emphasized his words, but his complaints fell upon deaf ears. She agreed fully that it would be much easier if they had an extra set of eyes, but Nightwings discoveries were of more importance. And with those thoughts in mind, Raven looked for something to change the subject.

"So, how am I supposed to look when we go snooping in that town?"

...

Though it had taken some time to run the initial setup of the systems, Raven eventually figured out every niche of her new tool. She stared at the dark haired wonder that was now her reflection. The girl had to admit, Cyborg really did know his way around compact bio-adaptive holomapping. Her concealed amethyst orbs tried to absorb that this was simply a humanized form of herself staring back. Regular black hair, soft peach skin, and her chakra gem seemed to have simply disappeared. Now all that remained was simply her attire, and whatever story they deemed appropriate. A snap of tin fingers told her to turn about, and her gaze shifted to her much larger companion.

"I think we can agree that you look rather normal, huh?" Cyborg boasted. "But the leotard and cape gotta go, gurl." He snapped again with a mock designer accent. If it had been anyone but Raven, they might have laughed. But when no response came forth, he revealed the clothes that had been concealed easily behind his large torso. "Care to slip into this?"

Orange. The very thick and heavy looking jacket was probably the brightest neon orange she could possibly dislike. And from the look of things, it was the only color she had any choice to wear. Raven shot a displeased glare at him. "And why is that any better?" She drawled, then added quickly. "Other than not freezing to death."

"Well," The armored hero replied. "It's because this jacket belongs to a journalist company, and it's sort of our whole cover story for being there?"

Raven, ever the thinker, had not even began to ponder said cover. All she had been concerned with was not being recognizable, not actually becoming someone else. Her fingers rose and began massaging her now sore temples. God, she was not prepared for this. "Alright, well what exactly is this story?"

"Simple. You, Racheal Roth, and I, Victor Stone, are a reporter and photographer duo for the Daily Planet." The large man plainly stated. "Superman actually sent me the idea and coats a few minutes ago. And I had to grab a nice camera from the evidence room, but I'm sure it won't be missed."

The plan itself seemed decent enough, but Raven had one qualm. "Why will we use your real name? Why not something Beast Boy won't recognize?" Cyborg Shrugged at her question.

"Racheal, we never went by our regular names until the league. I honestly can't remember a single time where I even said my name was Victor in the Titans. I was always just Cyborg, and you seem to forget, you were always just Raven. I mean, mine isn't made up like Racheal, but I just didn't go by it in those days."

Raven accepted his opinion without any further thought on it, choosing instead to clothe herself in the thick, warm fabrics that would acclimate her to the cold coming ahead. When she would finish changing, they would prepare to be boomed down to the surface below. They'd find their boy and... Well, she didn't know what came next, but she hoped it would be good.

...

Milk in this little town had a fresh taste. It was always cold, full and plentiful from the stables next over. Also, it was the only drink served at the tavern without alcohol. Beast Boy, learning quickly in his time away, had made the nutrient rich liquid his drink of choice when he had first learned how brittle his shifting genetics were becoming. He always remembered those frequent "Got Milk" billboards that frequented the suburban markets of Jump City. Always preaching about how it strengthened bones and whatnot. Maybe it could help him. And to his surprise, this was the first incident in a while that he had broken a bone.

Speaking of which, the cast impairing his walk was going to be an issue. Not only was it exceptionally heavy on his leg, but the damn thing couldn't get too wet. And with all this snow, which was now currently gathering tenfold due to the blizzard now rolling through. God, his luck had taken a tumble today. Though, that's not to say it wasn't of his own fault. He could have waited before going to town that day. He went more so on boredom than any other reason. He could have stayed a few more days. Or he could have skipped out on Misha. If he hadn't have been carrying the husky, which was now happily pawing at his cast with her now healing foreleg, he probably wouldn't have fallen into the steps.

But Beast Boy couldn't help but do the right thing. It's how he was raised, and how he's always been. So, yeah, his luck had turned sour, but he could dig it knowing he was still some part the hero he once was. Yeah, he probably would get his ass handed to him if he were to take on some villain, but it's not the size of heroics that matter. Okay, maybe it did a little bit, but you do what you can. And for now this is all he can do.

A tap on the counter shocked Beast Boy from his deeper than usual thoughts. He looked ahead, from the dark cover of his shemagh hanging loosely to the sides, to see Somov smiling from behind the counter. "Logan, my boy. I've finally managed to convince some of my guests to give their rooms up for you." He grinned "You need not worry yourself with your travel home."

Beast boy smiled slightly at the use of the name he had finally given to the burly man. "I hadn't thought to ask to stay here." He stated. "Surly I am deep in your debt."

"Not a chance. You saved my Misha from those damn trappers frequenting the woods. It's the least I could do, my friend."

Beast Boy's grin widened between his parted face wraps, he swore the man was valuing his small deed far beyond it's worth. But he silently thanked him with a nod of his ushanka and a glint in his eye. He swore the man was his only true friend in this town. Probably because Somov was the only one familiar with foreigners, being the keeper of the towns inn. He would repay the dept the man had unknowingly accumulated in Beast Boys conscience, one day. But for now he sat and listened to the subtle chatter of the bar around him and drink milk untill he was full.

A while passed as the storm outside seem to come to fruition. The wind was strong and ghastly against the walls of the inn, creaking and whining with every gust that passed. Snow built deeply and Beast Boy could swear he had heard thunder in the distance, though he never saw the flash of lightening. It seemed that the storm wasn't going to be getting any worse, and as the late night wore on, the snow began to finally drift more downwards than sideways.

With the strong weather dying down, the faint sound of engines loomed in from the distance. Lightly pitched, they weren't the greasy tractors or trucks frequented by the farmers toward the south. No, these were foreign to the area. The unusual noise picked at Beast Boys ears the closer they came. Not often would these sorts of things pass this area, but it did happen. But to have been travelling in the midst of that snow storm? Who were these people.

When the motors began to trail through the roads of the village, Beast Boy became ever more defensive, instinctively wrapping his shemagh back around his face and pulling down his goggles from the top of his ushanka. With good motive too, as when the newest guests had reached the inn, the motors halted. With bated breath, he listened as feet landed heavily into the snow, then another pair joined the first trudging along towards the building. "It appears you have some more guests, Somov." Beast Boy lowly spoke. The Innkeeper nodded and moved to a spot closer his newly arriving patrons.

Wood creaked and hinged squeaked as a rather unusual pair waltzed in. They wore poofy, orange coats lined with wool along the hoods. Across their chest was the word 'PRESS' and below it the logo for the Daily Planet. One of them was a tall man, skin shaded deep brown. He walked with power, and was the only of the two to adorn a large camera hanging loosely from his neck. The other was a smaller woman, peachy skin with a light rose from the frost. She seemed to be slightly nervous, like she was lost in some sort of mall. With a final huff, Beast Boy stopped is analysis of the two.

"Ugh, reporters..."

...


	9. Beginning Act 1: So close yet so far

Cyborg scanned the room for any sign of green. Not that he would have even hoped it would be that easy. Still, with a faster than light infrared scan, he confirmed that his person of interest was not open to view. So, with a swift grasp of Ravens shoulder, he bagan to move to who he assumed was the owner or book keeper of this "fine establishment". The bulky man stood a good six feet tall behind the counter and was readily opening his thick ledger of names and prices. The gesture was obviously only out of the courtesy of checking, as his facial expressions seemed to project "Sorry".

"Need a room?" The heavy accented man asked in English, surprising Cyborg with his linguistic knowledge.

"So, you speak English?" Cyborg asked obviously. The man nodded. "Well, we came here for an upcoming article for metropolis. Any chance we could stay here for a few nights?"

Sadly shaking his head slowly, the answer was obviously no. "I'm very sorry mister..."

"Victor."

"Mister Victor. Under any normal circumstances I would gladly give you a room or two, but the storm..." The burly man gestured with a thinking hand to the full tables of the tavern. "It has made traveling home very dangerous for my patrons. I'm packed full. I had to convince friends of mine to bunk together to give bed to my injured comrade here." His thick thumb shot above his shoulder, pointing to the end of an almost empty bar where a lone figure sat leaning against some wood crutches. "So I'm very sorry, but the most I can offer is a warm barstool and cold drinks until close."

Cyborg looked at the bar, then to the tables full of curious onlookers, then to Raven who shared his questions. She spoke first.

"Is there anywhere near here we can stay?"

A simple shake of his head and a empathetic frown graced his features. "Not for at least fifty or so kilometers. Sorry, but I can't be any help with a bed."

Cyborg looked over to Raven, taking in her thoughtful stance.

"How late will you be open?" She asked again.

The Inn Keeper only shrugged. "I can stay as late as you need to try and figure something out, but I'll need rest soon."

Cyborg shrugged, sighed and walked to the bar to have a seat. "Well, in the meantime, what do you have to drink?"

That brought back a homely smile to the tenders face. "Milk and vodka!"

...

Cyborg had been sitting a rut into the wooden stool for a while now. Somov, as he had learned was the Inn keepers name, had kept him busy with questions about why they were in their little town. It had taken a little bit of careful lying to finally complete the story that he and his very private co-worker were there as a part of an upcoming 'Nature around the globe' article. Cyborg had taken extensive measures to imply that he knew a lot about camerawork, and Raven filled in her part about needing to experience the environment to better write her story. On and on they had dragged about fake problems they had with immigration and rentals. In fact, Cyborg was starting to believe their stories for himself. But as the night drug on, Somov had finally began to dim the lanterns extending through the common room. That's when the stranger finally spoke.

"Somov." That was all he needed to get his attention. Instantly the burly man was lowly speaking with his concealed comrade. Russian was the language of choice, but Cyborg couldn't help but notice the accent of the newer voice. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't local. The metal man began translating the conversation when he felt the goggled stare of the smaller man.

"...No no no you will stay here with me Logan. Your leg needs to heal after that fall you had earlier. Let them worry about their troubles, you've done enough for today."

"Somov, I'm going to do it even if I have to fight you to. I want to go home. I need to go home. And they need somewhere to sleep."

"No. I made the Bondars move in with the Slovics so YOU could sleep safely here, not for them."

"Then I'll take them to my place."

Somov stared dangerously into the snow goggles across from him. Cyborg could tell that both parties were stubborn beyond belief, and that the larger held loyalty close while the other held onto doing what's right. But the more he listened, the slower he began to realize that the smaller form sitting wrapped head to toe must have been through a lot for Somov to be so protecting of him. Finally, the burly man slammed his hand on the table.

"Are you crazy? How will you get to the pass? The snow out there is too deep to traverse."

"On foot maybe, but I heard their vehicles out there. We could get to my cabin easy. I'll make up some bedding for them and as rent they can do chores while I heal."

Somov dropped his head to his hand. This Logan seemed to have thought this through quite effectively. In the end, everybody would be happy. Somov sighed and waved his hand away.

"Sometimes you're worse than my son, you know that? Fine, but I'm sending Vlad to check on you in the morning."

If Logan was smiling, Cyborg wouldn't know. All he knew as that the deeply concealed figure was now facing directly at him. "Well, you speak Russian, right?" Logan spoke suddenly in English. Cyborg nodded. "Then let's go, you guys give me a lift and you can stay as long as you need."

Cyborg looked to Raven, and she looked back with a curious gleaming in her eye. "You're riding with me Logan." She ordered, already waltzing toward the door. Cyborg took a minute, still processing the look that Raven had given him, and finally ran out the door, following the hobbling form of their new host.

...

Nightwing new perfectly well that STAR Labs was open, if not fully accessible, with the entirety of the Justice League. He knew that when they said they couldn't find any records under the code of R3B007. There was no reason to believe they had any remains of the likely pilfered document. He knew who had the only remaining copies of whatever sort of biological examinations Beast Boy. Because Nightwing knew that when Batman found information that he didn't want found, he kept it for himself and removed any and all traces.

But, like a good boy scout, the blue knight covered all of his grounds. Sure he had suspected, no predicted, that there would be nothing left to find at the starch white Bio-labs. Any trace of the Dr. Rhoan was removed when the experimental meta-physician found an excellent new opportunity working under a blacklisted division of Wayne Enterprises. Any studies he had made, and what exactly his work entailed, was bought out by the corporate giant that was his adoptive father. So without any surprise, Nightwing stood in a bright clean office looking through empty filing cabinets.

His dexterous hands forced against the flexing metal of the drawers. With a disappointed sigh he conjured the newly added blue disk from the rear of his belt. With a flip and a stroke of a few choice keys, a number came to his beckoning screen. Alfred Pennyworth. The communicator began to ring and was promptly answered with a familiar voice.

"Hello, Master Dick."

"Hey Al, I have a favor I need to ask."

"Seems that is all you call for these days my dear boy. What do you need?"

"I need some files Bruce is keeping on Beast Boy's visits with STAR Labs."

"Ah, well I'm afraid I will be of no help."

Nightwing froze. Did Alfred,_ the Alfred_, just tell him he wouldn't help? He ALWAYS helped.

"What, Al?"

"Master Bruce has informed me that you are trying to privy into matters that are both trivial and of the most private knowledge of a former teammate."

Nightwing pressed his temples to relax his oncoming headache. Alfred was not easy to argue with. "It's not that I want to invade his privacy, Al." The former boy wonder began. "He's been hiding for five years without any word or clue as to why. Now I know for a fact that Bruce is hiding whatever it may be. And that-"

"I'd love to help, but I don't see any more good moral in conveying this information to you."

"Please!" Nightwing yelled, his professional demeanor diminishing from his face. He leaned to a nearby countertop as his head sank to his communicator."Please, Alfred. I Just need to know. I need this favor." There was a long silence. To long to be comfortable, but steady enough to be hopeful. Nightwing began to pray that he wouldn't have to try his final plan.

"Why?" Came the elders response. Why, he asked? As the blue knight dwelled on the question, he felt the truth come from his heart.

"I just need to know he's okay. I need to know that I'm not putting him at risk taking him with us." The response to this was quick and unexpectedly cheerful.

"Well, alright Master Dick. I'll see what I can find for you if given the chance." Alfred's charactered voice came through the device. "Though I can make no promises. I would continue following any leads you have."

...

_**A/N: Normally I leave this at the beginning, but there is no normal anymore. It's been awhile, and I guess this is hi and stuff. I hope you all understand how difficult this stuff is for me, and that I have actually been actively writing this whole time for this story. I will continue to write more, and I hope you continue to read. I'm sorry there isn't more yet, but I suck like that.**_

_**Anyways, please review it keeps me going for reasons unknown. And I hope you have a great rest of your day. **_


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